Information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To ensure that a user has sufficient options in a search result for a service facility.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes a storage unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. The storage unit stores facility information on a plurality of service facilities. The communication unit communicates with a user terminal. The control unit, when a search request including a reservation date and time, a search reference location, and additional search conditions is received from the user terminal as search conditions for the service facility that can be reserved, searches for a service facility that can be reserved by setting a search range on the basis of the search reference location to a different size in accordance with the additional search conditions. The control unit then sends search result information indicating search results for the service facility concerned to the user terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that enable a user terminal to execute a search process for service facilities such as restaurants. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a system capable of accepting reservations for use of service facilities such as restaurants via a network, search conditions for service facilities are accepted from a user, and information on service facilities that match the search conditions is output as a search result.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 below describes that when a search request for a restaurant including information on the number of diners is received, a search is performed for restaurants that are located within a circular range (search range) centered on the location of the user terminal and that can accept reservations for that number of diners. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-057154 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, the search range remains constant regardless of the search conditions set by the user. Therefore, depending on the search conditions, the search results provided to the user may be extremely limited, which may result in the user not being provided with a sufficient selection of facilities.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that can provide a user with sufficient options in search results for service facilities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention has a memory unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. The memory unit stores facility information related to a plurality of service facilities. The communication unit communicates with a user terminal. When the control unit receives a search request including a reservation date and time, a search reference location, and additional search conditions as search conditions for the reservable service facilities from the user terminal, the control unit searches for the reservable service facilities by setting a search range based on the search reference location to a different size according to the additional search conditions. The control unit then transmits search result information indicating the search results for the service facilities to the user terminal.

[0008] With this configuration, by varying the search range in accordance with the additional search criteria, it is possible to prevent the number of search results for service facilities from becoming too small, thereby ensuring sufficient options for the user. The information processing system includes at least one information processing device.

[0009] The additional search condition may be the number of people making reservations, and the control unit may increase the search range as the number of people making reservations increases.

[0010] This allows the search range to be widened even when there are a large number of people making reservations, providing a sufficient selection of facilities available for reservation.

[0011] The storage unit may store, as the facility information, information on a genre of the service facility in association with a size of the search range. In this case, the additional search condition may be the genre, and the control unit may change the search range in accordance with the genre.

[0012] This allows facilities in a category with a small absolute number to have a sufficient selection of facilities available for reservation, and prevents the search results from becoming too large for facilities in a category with a large absolute number.

[0013] The control unit may increase the search range as the time between the date and time of receiving the search request and the reservation date and time decreases.

[0014] This allows the user to have sufficient options by widening the search range even if the time until the reservation date and time is short.

[0015] When the search range is included in the additional search conditions, the control unit may search for the service facility using the search range.

[0016] The storage unit may store information relating to a plurality of search ranges having different predetermined sizes, and the control unit may select a search range corresponding to the additional search condition from the plurality of search ranges.

[0017] The control unit may change the search range in accordance with the number of the additional search conditions.

[0018] The control unit may increase the search range as the number of the additional search conditions increases. Information processing system. In this way, since the more additional search criteria are added, the lower the chance of finding a reservable facility that matches them, widening the search range can ensure that the user has sufficient options.

[0019] An information processing method according to another aspect of the present invention includes: A search request including a reservation date and time, a search reference location, and additional search conditions as search conditions for a service facility that can be reserved is received from a user terminal; According to the additional search conditions, a search range based on the search reference location is set to a different size to search for the reservable service facilities; and transmitting search result information indicating the search results for the service facilities to the user terminal.

[0020] A program according to another aspect of the present invention includes: receiving a search request including a reservation date and time, a search reference location, and additional search conditions as search conditions for reservable service facilities from a user terminal; A step of searching for the reservable service facilities by setting a search range based on the search reference location to a different size according to the additional search conditions; and transmitting search result information indicating a search result for the service facilities to the user terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0021] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a user with sufficient options in the search results for service facilities, but this effect does not limit the present invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a restaurant information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a restaurant information providing server according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a database included in a restaurant information providing server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of a restaurant search process performed by a restaurant information providing server according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] [System configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a restaurant information providing system according to this embodiment.

[0025] As shown in the figure, this system includes a restaurant information providing server 100 on the Internet 50 , a plurality of user terminals 200 , and a plurality of restaurant terminals 300 .

[0026] The restaurant information providing server 100 is a web server that operates a portal site that lists information about restaurants. The restaurant information providing server 100 is connected to a plurality of user terminals 200 and a plurality of restaurant terminals 300 of restaurants via the Internet 50.

[0027] The restaurant information providing server 100 provides a restaurant information search system for users of user terminals 200 on the portal site. Specifically, the restaurant information providing server 100 searches for restaurant information that matches search conditions based on a search request from the user terminal 200, generates a Web page listing the search results, and transmits it to the user terminal 200. The restaurant information providing server 100 also performs reservation acceptance processing for any restaurant from the user terminal 200 of the user who viewed the restaurant information.

[0028] The user terminal 200 (200A, 200B, 200C...) is a terminal used by a user, such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, a desktop PC, etc. The user terminal 200 accesses the restaurant information providing server 100, receives the above-mentioned web page, and displays it on a screen using a browser or the like.

[0029] The user terminal 200 determines search conditions for restaurants based on user operation, and transmits a restaurant search request based on the search conditions to the restaurant information providing server 100. In this embodiment, the user of the user terminal 200 can transmit a search request by selecting preset search conditions such as the restaurant's location area (nearest station), genre, price range, etc. Then, based on the user operation, the user terminal 200 can transmit a reservation request for any of the restaurants displayed as the search results to the restaurant information providing server 100.

[0030] Meanwhile, restaurant information providing server 100 provides a management screen (web page) of restaurant information for restaurants (affiliated restaurants) listed on the portal site. Through the management screen, users of restaurant terminals 300 can edit and update restaurant information (contents) on a web page provided to general users as the search results, and upload the web page to the portal site.

[0031] Restaurant terminal 300 (300A, 300B, 300C...) is a terminal installed in each restaurant, and is a tablet PC, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, etc. Restaurant terminal 300 can execute processes related to its own restaurant information, such as editing and updating the restaurant information, through communication with restaurant information providing server 100 based on the operation of an administrator.

[0032] In this embodiment, the restaurant information providing server 100 can provide restaurant information as a search result in response to a search request for restaurant information to the user terminal 200. In this case, when the search conditions set by the user include the use date and time, the search reference location, and the number of users, the restaurant information providing server 100 can vary the search range based on the search reference location according to the number of users. Details of this process will be described later.

[0033] [Hardware configuration of restaurant information server] 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the restaurant information providing server 100. As shown in the figure, the restaurant information providing server 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an input / output interface 15, and a bus 14 connecting these to each other.

[0034] The CPU 11 appropriately accesses the RAM 13 etc. as necessary, and performs various arithmetic processing while controlling all the blocks of the restaurant information providing server 100. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory in which the OS, programs, various parameters, and other firmware to be executed by the CPU 11 are fixedly stored. The RAM 13 is used as a working area for the CPU 11, and temporarily stores the OS, various applications being executed, and various data being processed.

[0035] The input / output interface 15 is connected to a display unit 16, an operation reception unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and the like.

[0036] The display unit 16 is a display device using, for example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an Organic ElectroLuminescence Display (OLED), a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), or the like.

[0037] The operation reception unit 17 is, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or other input device. When the operation reception unit 17 is a touch panel, the touch panel can be integrated with the display unit 16.

[0038] The storage unit 18 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory (SSD; Solid State Drive), or other solid-state memory. The storage unit 18 stores the OS, various applications, and various data.

[0039] As will be described later, particularly in this embodiment, the storage unit 18 has a restaurant information database, a user information database, and an area / number of people reservation correspondence information table in addition to programs such as applications necessary for the restaurant search processing described later.

[0040] The communication unit 19 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) for Ethernet or various modules for wireless communication such as wireless LAN, and is responsible for communication processing with the user terminal 200.

[0041] Although not shown, the basic hardware configurations of user terminal 200 and restaurant terminal 300 are also substantially the same as the hardware configuration of restaurant information providing server 100 described above.

[0042] [Database and table configuration of restaurant information server] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a database table included in the restaurant information providing server 100. As shown in FIG.

[0043] As shown in the figure, the restaurant information providing server 100 has a restaurant information database 31, a user information database 32, and an area / reservation number of people correspondence information table 33 in the storage unit .

[0044] The restaurant information database 31 stores, for each restaurant, the restaurant's name, location (address or latitude and longitude) information, area information, access information (nearest station information, distance information from the nearest station), telephone number, ID (store ID) identifying the restaurant, business type / service genre information of the restaurant, information introducing the restaurant (information showing the characteristics of the restaurant such as store PR text, event information held by the restaurant, etc.), image data related to the restaurant (introducing the restaurant), menu information related to the menu offered by the restaurant, average budget information, business hours, website URL, etc. This information is input from the restaurant terminal 300 of each restaurant via a management screen provided by the restaurant information providing server 100. The restaurant information database 31 may also store information showing the reservation acceptance status of each restaurant (reservation ledger information).

[0045] The menu information corresponds to the menus posted on the website of each restaurant on the portal site, and stores the names of multiple menus that each restaurant can provide for each restaurant. The menu information may be stored for each menu category, such as appetizer / main course, lunch / dinner / course, etc. The menu information may include text information indicating the menu name, price, description, etc., as well as image information such as a photograph of the menu, which is stored in association with the menu.

[0046] The area information includes information about a plurality of areas with different units of size to which each restaurant is linked. Examples of large areas include prefectures and cities and wards, and examples of small areas include towns, villages, and streets.

[0047] Furthermore, regardless of such administrative divisions, area information may be used that is within a few hundred meters of a reference transportation facility such as a train station (e.g., "Ginza area"), an area within 1 km, an area within 2 km, or an area that includes the areas around multiple stations (e.g., "Ginza-Shinbashi-Yurakucho area").

[0048] This means that the same restaurant can be linked to multiple areas of different sizes.

[0049] The genre information may include main categories such as Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, and grilled meat, as well as more detailed sub-genres such as yakitori and tempura in Japanese cuisine and pasta and pizza in Italian cuisine.

[0050] The user information database 32 stores information about users who own user terminals 200 and are users (members) of the restaurant information service via the portal site provided by the restaurant information providing server 100. Specifically, the user information database 32 stores information such as a user ID, password, name, email address (information to which other messages are addressed), phone number, address, age (group), sex, and date of birth for each user.

[0051] The area / number of people correspondence table 33 stores the correspondence between the above-mentioned multiple area information of different sizes and the number of people for reservations (value or value range). This is because the area information is used as a search range based on a search reference location in the restaurant search process described later.

[0052] Specifically, the larger the number of people making a reservation, the larger the area is associated with it. For example, the smallest area is associated with a reservation number of 1 to 2 people, the next larger medium area is associated with a reservation number of 3 to 6 people, and the largest area is associated with a reservation number of 7 people or more. This is because it is thought that the more people making a reservation, the fewer the number of restaurants that can accept reservations for that number of people.

[0053] These databases and tables are used by mutual reference as necessary in the restaurant search process by the restaurant information providing server 100, which will be described later.

[0054] [Operation of restaurant information server] Next, an operation of the restaurant information providing server 100 configured as above will be described. The operation is executed by the cooperation of hardware such as the CPU 11 and the communication unit 19 of the restaurant information providing server 100 and software stored in the storage unit 18. For convenience, in the following description, the CPU 11 is the subject of operation.

[0055] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of restaurant search processing by the restaurant information providing server 100.

[0056] As shown in the figure, the CPU 11 of the restaurant information providing server 100 first determines whether or not a search request for restaurants that are included in the restaurant information on the portal site and that accept reservations has been received from the user terminal 200 (step 41).

[0057] The search request includes information for identifying the user of the user terminal 200 (user ID, email address, etc.), as well as at least information on the search reference location (area or station where the restaurant is located) and reservation date and time (date and time of use) as restaurant search conditions, as well as information on the number of people making a reservation (number of people using) as an additional search condition. The search conditions are set by being selected or input by the user of the user terminal 200 on the portal site (or application).

[0058] If it is determined that a search request including the above-mentioned search reference location, reservation date and time, and number of people for reservation has been received (Yes), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the search request includes a search range as an additional search condition (step 42).

[0059] If it is determined that the search range is not included as the additional search condition (No), the CPU 11 refers to the area / number of people corresponding to the number of people included in the search request, and selects from among multiple search areas a search area that corresponds to the number of people included in the search request as a search range based on the search reference location (step 43).

[0060] Next, the CPU 11 searches for restaurants that can be reserved according to the search conditions included in the search request (step 44). The search range selected in step 43 or the search range included as an additional search condition in step 42 is set as the search range.

[0061] Then, the CPU 11 generates a search result page showing the search results (step 45). The search result page is generated as a list of restaurant information columns including, for example, the restaurant name, a representative photo, and information on the nearest station. In each restaurant information column, a hyperlink to a store detailed information page and a reservation page is set.

[0062] Then, the CPU 11 transmits the generated search result page to the user terminal 200 (step 46). If there is a reservation request thereafter for any of the restaurants, the CPU 11 executes reservation processing in accordance with the request.

[0063] [summary] As described above, according to this embodiment, the restaurant information providing server 100 can provide the user with a sufficient selection of facilities that can be reserved, even when a large number of people are making reservations, by expanding the search range based on the search reference location accordingly.

[0064] [Variations] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the search reference location is an area name or a station name, but instead, the current location of user terminal 200 may be used as the search reference location. In this case, restaurant information providing server 100 may set the search range according to the number of people making a reservation, for example, within 200 m if the number of people making a reservation is 1 to 2, within 500 m if the number of people making a reservation is 3 to 6, and within 1 km if the number of people making a reservation is 7 or more, based on the latitude and longitude information of the current location of user terminal 200. In this case, restaurants are searched for based on the straight-line distance between the latitude and longitude information of the location stored in restaurant information database 31 and the latitude and longitude information of the current location, and the set search range.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the restaurant information providing server 100 selects a search area corresponding to the number of people making a reservation as the search range from among multiple search areas of different sizes that are predefined. However, the search area does not have to be predefined, and the search range may be dynamically set by multiplying the number of people making a reservation by a reference value of the radius of a circle from the search reference location (e.g., 100 m, 500 m, etc.).

[0067] In the above embodiment, the restaurant information providing server 100 varies the search range according to the number of people making a reservation as an additional search criterion other than the reservation date and time and the search reference location. However, the additional search criterion is not limited to the number of people making a reservation.

[0068] For example, the restaurant information providing server 100 may use the genre of the restaurant as an additional search criterion instead of the number of people making a reservation. In this case, the storage unit 18 stores a table that links information on the genre of the restaurant (Japanese, Chinese, Italian, yakiniku, etc., as described above) with information on the multiple search areas of different sizes. The restaurant information providing server 100 may select, as a search range, a search area corresponding to the genre included in the search request as an additional search criterion other than the reservation date and time and the search reference location. For example, even if the reservation date and time and the search reference location are the same, when the genre is Italian, the search range may be set wider than when the genre is Japanese.

[0069] For example, the restaurant information providing server 100 may associate a genre that is more popular (has a larger total number of reservations) in an area or a genre that has fewer listings on the portal site with a wider area. This makes it possible to provide a sufficient selection of restaurants available for reservations for restaurants in a popular or low-numbered genre, and to prevent too many search results for restaurants in a high-numbered genre.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the restaurant information providing server 100 may increase the search range as the time between the date and time of receiving the search request and the reservation date and time decreases. For example, the restaurant information providing server 100 may select a wide search area if the remaining time is one to two days, a medium area if the remaining time is three to one week, and a narrow area if the remaining time is one week or more. In this way, even if the period until the reservation date and time is short, the restaurant information providing server 100 can ensure that the user has sufficient options by widening the search range, and can adjust the search area so that an appropriate number of candidate restaurants are searched for according to the remaining time until the planned date and time of use.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the restaurant information providing server 100 may change the search range according to the number of additional search conditions other than the reservation date and time and the search reference location. That is, the restaurant information providing server 100 may narrow the search range as the number of additional search conditions increases, or may widen the search range as the number of additional search conditions increases. In the latter case, the more additional search conditions there are, the lower the possibility of finding a restaurant that matches the conditions and is available for reservation. Therefore, by widening the search range, the user can be provided with sufficient options.

[0072] The configurations of the above embodiment and the above modified example regarding the process of changing the search range according to the additional search conditions can be combined in any way as long as they are not contradictory to each other. For example, the search range (the width or narrowness) may be selected based on all of the number of people making the reservation, the genre, and the remaining time from the message sending date and time to the reservation date and time, or may be selected based on any one or two of them.

[0073] In the above-described embodiment, restaurants are given as an example of service facilities, however, service facilities are not limited to restaurants. The present invention can be similarly applied to various service facilities, such as accommodation facilities such as hotels and inns, various sports facilities such as tennis, basketball, golf, etc., entertainment facilities such as karaoke and bowling, and treatment facilities such as massage and beauty salons.

[0074] Among the inventions described in the claims of this application, the invention described as an "information processing method" is one in which each step is automatically performed by at least one device such as a computer through information processing by software, and is not performed by a human using a device such as a computer. In other words, the "information processing method" is an information processing method by computer software, and is not a method in which a human operates a calculation tool called a computer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 11...CPU 18...Storage section 19…Communications Department 31...Restaurant information database 32...User information database 33…Area and reservation number of people information table 100: Restaurant information server 200...User terminal 300…Restaurant terminal

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores facility information relating to a plurality of service facilities; A communication unit capable of communicating with a user terminal; a control unit which, when receiving from the user terminal a search request including a reservation date and time, a search reference location, and additional search conditions as search conditions for the reservable service facilities, searches for the reservable service facilities by setting a search range based on the search reference location to a different size according to the additional search conditions, and transmits search result information indicating the search result of the service facilities to the user terminal; An information processing system comprising:

2. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, The additional search condition is the number of people making a reservation, The control unit widens the search range as the number of reservations increases. Information processing system.

3. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, the storage unit stores, as the facility information, information on a genre of the service facility in association with a size of the search range; the additional search criterion is the genre, The control unit changes the search range according to the genre. Information processing system.

4. 4. An information processing system according to claim 1, The control unit increases the search range as the time between the date and time of receiving the search request and the reservation date and time becomes shorter. Information processing system.

5. 5. An information processing system according to claim 1, When the search range is included in the additional search conditions, the control unit searches for the service facility using the search range. Information processing system.

6. 6. An information processing system according to claim 1, the storage unit stores information relating to a plurality of search ranges having different sizes that are determined in advance; The control unit selects a search range according to the additional search condition from the plurality of search ranges. Information processing system.

7. 7. An information processing system according to claim 1, The control unit changes the search range in accordance with the number of the additional search conditions. Information processing system.

8. The information processing system according to claim 7, The control unit increases the search range as the number of the additional search conditions increases. Information processing system.

9. A search request including a reservation date and time, a search reference location, and additional search conditions as search conditions for a service facility that can be reserved is received from a user terminal; Searching for the reservable service facilities by setting a search range based on the search reference location to a different size according to the additional search conditions; Transmitting search result information indicating a search result for the service facilities to the user terminal. Information processing methods.

10. In the information processing device, receiving a search request including a reservation date and time, a search reference location, and additional search conditions as search conditions for reservable service facilities from a user terminal; A step of searching for the reservable service facilities by setting a search range based on the search reference location to a different size according to the additional search conditions; transmitting search result information indicating a search result of the service facilities to the user terminal; A program that executes the following.

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